Three Common Adult Sleep Disorders
Getting the right amount of sleep is one of the most important aspects of healthy living that most adults, and many adolescents, often neglect. Even people who exercise regularly, do not smoke and avoid drinking excessive alcohol often only get a fraction of the sleep their bodies really need to stay healthy. Sleep is one luxury many older adults, as well as young adults simply don’t spend enough time doing. It is estimated that nearly 65 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep condition.
Sometimes health problems such as excessive weight, over indulging on alcohol or food or simply living a stressful lifestyle can lead to sleep problems. Many people have a hard time falling asleep for any number of reasons. Here are some of the more common sleep problems seen in many people today:
Sleep Apnea: This sleep condition causes a person to stop breathing shortly while the person is sleeping. Sleep apnea can be categorized as obstructive, which means soft tissues in the back of the throat collapse slightly while a person is sleeping, momentarily obstructing the airway and disturbing sleep. Central sleep apnea occurs when a person’s brain actually “forgets” to tell the body to keep breathing during the night. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea. Both types of apnea disturb sleep patterns and though they may not entirely wake a person up, they do disrupt the deep level a sleep the human body craves.
Bed Wetting As an Adult: Normally only considered a sleep issue which plagues small children, it is estimated that over 6 million adult suffer from bed wetting episodes, though those numbers are believed to be under reported. Bed wetting in middle age occurs when a mature person or adolescent does not wake to eliminate urinate during the night time sleep cycle. Obviously, this can lead to a fear going to sleep, increase stress
RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome): RLS is a sleep condition which causes a person to experience a creeping, pins and needles or even pulling sensation in the leg when they lay down to go to sleep or sit for long periods of time during the evening hours. Restless leg syndrome might be one of the causes for leg cramping. These feelings prevent sleep and can be more than just bothersome if they happen every night.
You may want to speak with your doctor if you have to deal with any of these conditions yourself. Getting the right amount of sleep is critically important to your overall health and can dramatically improve your quality of living. All of these sleep maladies are treatable and some can be prevented.